Cambodia beaches making waves in the tourism industry

Editors at CNN online listed the Southwestern Beach on Cambodia's Koh Rong Island as one of the World's 100 Best Beaches. The accolade is sure to help boost the image of Cambodia tourism industry, highlighting the country as more than just a back packers holiday destination but rather a real contender for the ideal sun sea and sand getaway.

Cambodia is cementing its position as one of the world's up and coming holiday destination. Recently, the Southwestern beach in Koh Rong was ranked number 52 in CNN's World's 100 Beach Beaches list, a strong placing considering the stiff competition from some of the world's most renowned beach destinations.

While beaches in destinations like the Seychelles, the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos were ranked in the top 10, Cambodia's Southwestern beach was ranked higher than Egypt's Na'ama Bay and even a handful of Caribbean beaches including Bottom Bay in Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago's Pigeon Point beach.

Of the gorgeous white sand beach on Cambodia's second largest island CNN staff had the following to say "Koh Rong is one of the Gulf of Thailand's most gorgeous islands, and on its southwestern side there's a stretch of nearly three miles of untouched white sand that invariably seduces any who venture this way". Local tourism officials are likely to be pleased with the opportunity to attract the attention of travellers hoping to book holidays to top beach holiday destinations via a high circulation media like CNN.

Although typically thought of as a back packers destination, the latest developments in Cambodia's tourism industry actually point to a growth in luxury holidays.

Pham Ha, founder and CEO of Luxury Travel Ltd stated the following of the development of Cambodia's holiday industry "Luxe Cambodia is on the rise, with new luxury hotels and resorts opening regularly. Song Saa Private Island in Sihanoukville, and Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra in Phnom Penh have just been opened recently, so high-end travelers have choices for their comfort and accommodation. Teeming with history, marvelous architecture and awash in natural beauty, the largest religious monument ever built, Angkor Wat ranks at the top of every globetrotting luxury traveler's must see list".

Unoubtedly highlighting sun, sea and sand attractions like Southwestern Beach will help to further develop and diversify the country's tourism brand.

Cambodia's tourism officials reported an 18 percent increase in travellers booking Cambodia holidays in March with 382,206 visitors compared to 323,083 in March of 2012. In additional to regional Asian market other international source markets including Europe, America and Africa all contributed to the growth.